Atomizer



Patented Een.. 4, 19213.

saires stares i,ei76,589L

PATENT orifice, j

WINTON E. BROWN AND CHARLES T. BROWN, or SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA.

ATOMIZR.

Application ined 'lvay 1, 1922. 'serial No. 557,725.

To all whom t may '00u-cern described and claimed, having reference to Be it known that We, lVN'roN EQBROW'N@ the accompanying drawings, in which;

and CHARLES T. BROWN, citizens of the United States, ,residing at Sacramento, county of SacramentoLand State of California, have invented new and useful I mprovenients in Atomi'zers, of which the fol.- lowing' is a specification.

This invention relates to atomizers and especially to that type employed in con'- junction with spray painting machines.

Most spray painting machines in use to'- day are objectionable for several reasons; First an air pressure ranging from 90 to 125 use of substantial air and paint containers, together with more or less costly air compressors and heavy pipe fittings; Secondly,

in a highly' atomized or foglike condition; and fourth` the cost of the equipment is eX- cessive and weight is such that it becomes cumbersome to handle, etc.

The object of the present invention is to generally improve and simplify paint apfparatus as a Whole, und especially to provide an atoluizer which will el'iicie'utly aiomize the paint by whirling or centrifugal action, regardless of whether the paint is heavy, light, thin or otherwise, and which will not liberate the paint until it is thoroughly atomized; to provide an atomizer which operates successfully under au air pressure of from to 25 pounds; an atomizer Which will eliminate theY unhealthy feature of spray painting, and Which is not limited to cer! tain fields of application but distinguishes by being universally applicable. Other objects will hereinafter appear.` The invention consists of the parts and the construction, combination and arrange` meut of parts as hereinafter more fully pounds is usually required, necessitating' the' men as the escaping` air carries away painty Fig. l is a central, vertical,'longitudinal section through the atomizer.

'Fig'. 2 is a section on line 2&2, Fig'T i.

Fig. 3 is a central, vertical, ingtdinai section of the ato-miz'er showii'ig a modification of the structure.

Fig. 4 is a view of a streak of paint ap'- plied to the surface by a high pressure atomizer.,

Fig. 5 is a similai- View showing paint ap; plied to the surface by the l'ofiv pressure vat'otnizer illustrated in this invention.

Referring` to the drawings in detail, and

yparticularly to Figs'. l 'and 2, A indicates a Cylindrical easing which tapers from end to end. Formed in the interior thereof is a cylindrical chamber B 'which alsoy tapers from end to end.A This chamber communicates with a discharge lopenin'g-2 formed at the forxvard end, and it also' coml'ui'iicate's With an annular mixing chamber 3 formed at the inner end.` The annular .mixing chamber is separated froirrthe main chamber B by an annular ringelile flange 4. The paint to be atomized is delivered to the annular chamber 3 by means of a passage 5, and the air employed for atomizing'purposes is delivered through a passage 6 disposed at a tangent to the annular chamber 3 and substantially at right angles tothe passai-ge` 5; the passages 5 and 6 being connected with suitable sources of supply hereinafter to be described.

1n actual practice it isusual to employ a suitable type of compressor, a container for the reception of the air, anda oont'ainerffo-r the reception of t-he paint employed. The' atomiy'er is under certain conditions placed directly on top of the paint container and in other instances it is ap'pliedto the' end of the hose line, thereby permitting f the'i paint and air to be projected directly against the surface to be covered. The atoniizer shown in the present instance may be placed at any point desired, for instance on top' of the paint container, at the end of the hose and air Will, under such conditions, enter.

the respective. passages and as they are disposed substantially at right anglesto each other, an atomizing eect will be obtained at the point 7 Where the respective streams meet. The partially combined air and paint Will then enter the annular mixing chamber 3 on a tangent and a whirling movement will thus be imparted to the mixture, that is it VWillv travel around and around in the annular passage 3 and camiot discharge therefrom except by passing over the annular flange 4 into the chamber B. rl`his is of great importance as any paint particles Which are not thoroughly atomized at the point 7 Will Whirl around and around in the chamber 3 until thoroughly atomized and they will then pass off with the air over the flange 4l into the chamber B. They will then pass forwardly through this chamber in a thoroughly atomized condition and will finally discharge through the hose line connected at the point2 and may thus be directed to the surface to be painted or covered. In otherv Words the paint and air is first subjected to an atomizing action at the point 7, and secondly to an atomizing action inthe annular chamber 3; the atomizing action in chamber 3 being constant as any paint particles Which are not thoroughly atomized at the point 7 will be whirled around and around until completely atomized. The second atomi'zing action is therefore continuous and as the paint is constantly subjected to the whirling air until completely broken up and atomized, it will bev in acondition to pass off Witlrthe vaii' and enter chamber B from Where it is discharged.

The atomizer here shoivn, due to the efiii ciency of the atomizing arrangement employed, permits the use of low pressure air as distinguished from mostv equipments now commonly employed, that is air from 5 t0 25 pounds/pressure Will efliciently atomiZe the paint, Whether thick, thin or other- Y Wise, as it is subjected to the whirling action of the air in the annular chamber 3 until it is atomized, and for this reason no uiiatoinized particles lof paint can escape. rlfhe use of low pressure air eliminates the unhealthy condition usually encountered With high pressure air; it furthermore eliminates Waste of both air and paint; it permits the application of a heavier and more uniform coat; and it permits the formation of a clean margin, for instance when applying trimming coats and the like.

Paint applied by the atomizer here illustrated forms a uniform dense coat with a clean margin as illustrated in Fig. 5, while paint applied by high pressure air leaves a shady' margin, which has a tendency to spread, and furthermore a coatwhich is not as dense as that applied by a low pressure atomizer; the coat applied by high pressure air being illustrated in Fig. 4r. Y Y

The cost and operation of a low pressure equipment is loW compared With va high pressure equipment as a compressor of smaller capacity can be employech and similarly lighter fittings and containers for the paint ,and air respectively. An equipment of this character can therefore be readily handled, While a high pressure equipment becomes cumbersome and unwieldy due tothe greater Weight, etc. y

,While certain features of the present invention are more or less specifically illustrated, We Wish it understood that various changes in form and proportion may be re-` sorted to Within the scope of the appended claims, similarly that the materials and fin-V ish of the several parts employed may beV such as the experience and judgment of the manufacturer may dictate or various uses may demand..

Having thus described our invention,

lll

what we claim and desire to secure byV Letters Patent is Y l. An atomizing device of the character described comprising an elongated cylindrical casing. a chamber formed in the interior thereof, a discharge opening formed at one end of the casing andin communication with said chamber, an annular mixing chamber formed Within the casing disposed at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the casing and the main chamber formed therein, and aliquid and an air inlet passage fornied in the casing in communication with the annular chamber and disposed on a tangent with relation thereto.

2. An atomizing device of the character described comprising an elongated cylindrical casing, a chamber formed in the interior thereof, a discharge ope-ning formed at one end of the casing and in communicawith the annular chamber and disposed on` a tangent With relation thereto, and said liquid and air inlet passages being disposed substantially at right angles to each other. i

3. An atomizing device of the character described comprising an elongated cylindrical easing, tapering from end to end, a Chamber formed therein and taperlng from end to end, said chamber terminating in aV discharge passage at its smaller end, a mixing chamber, an annulal` flange formed in the interior of the casing, an annular passage formed rearwardly of the flange and in communication with the main Chamber, said annular` passage being in communi- L in the Casing and tangentially disposed Wth relation to the annular passage, and a liquid supplying passage formed in the easing at substantially right langles to the air inlet passagey and communicating with the air passage and the annular passage.

WINTON E. BROWN.

CHARLES T; BROWN. 

